Nairobi — Tourism and hospitality industry players at the Coast are recording a high occupancy rate of above 80 per cent this Christmas holiday.

At the South Coast, Diani Reef Managing Director Bobby Kamani said that business at their hotel has picked up very well since the beginning of December.

"We have an extremely busy festive period ahead. There is renewed confidence in destination Diani by the domestic market as well as an increase in international clientele visiting Diani," said Kamani.

He said they hope that this upsurge of confidence in the South Coast tourists' destination will continue to strengthen in 2019 and beyond.

In the North Coast, PrideInn Hotels Group Managing Director, Hasnain Noorani confirmed that there is a spike in bookings made by local holiday makers.

He said this has been made possible by the increased number of low-budget carriers to the coastal city of Mombasa.

According to Noorani, there is a correlation between the transport industry and hospitality.

"For the longest time, transport industry has been the principal driving force behind local tourism. The number of airline users have increased thanks to the decrease in air fares resulting from the increase in number of budget carries to and from Mombasa," he said.

In September, local airline Silverstone Air Services intensified competition on the Nairobi-Mombasa route with the launch of direct flights between the two cities, targeting tourists on the coastal circuit.

Its entry, along with that of other airlines in recent times, triggered further cuts in ticket prices along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa route.

Fly Tristar Services made its debut into the Kenyan Coast with a promise of unrivalled air service as it sorts to slice the growing number of locals who travel by air.

Coast Regional Manager for PrideInn Hotels, Victor Shitakah, said that hotels have recorded a high number of reservations with majority of visitors being locals.